Elementary, my dear Gozo
Gozo has given us a crossword where each of the across answers is a chemical element. This has provided him with a challenge to find definitions which go beyond “element”, “metal”, “gas” etc. In the main, he did well, with MERCURY, COPPER, SILVER etc. He did struggle with SCANDIUM and ASTATINE though (see comment #1)
As well as all the across clues, he alsoi managed to refer to the theme in some down clues, and even slotted in COBALT as a bonus element.
Thanks, Gozo.
| Across | ||
| 1 | COPPER | Old boiler worth a penny (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 4 | PLATINUM | A cheap metal in best metal (8) |
| A TIN in PLUM | ||
| 9 | SILVER | Fossil very likely to reveal pirate (6) |
| Revealed in “fosSIL VERy”
Refers to Long John Silver, from Treasure Island. |
||
| 10 | NITROGEN | Gas that’s inert – no good if blended (8) |
| *(inert no g) where g = “good” | ||
| 12 | SCANDIUM | Reproduction of mass production after troops leave no. 21 (8) |
| *(mas ducin) (“mass production” minus the letters in “troops”)
Don’t like the definition, although it is obvious from the theme of the crossword that we are to look for the element that is No 21 on the periodic table. |
||
| 13 | BARIUM | Elementary meal prepared to give inside information (6) |
| A barium meal is used to provide information about the alimentary canal as it is opaque to X-rays. | ||
| 15 | LEAD | A good role from a double, admittedly (4) |
| “From” “doubLE ADmittedly” | ||
| 16 | KRYPTON | Gas – a factor in a TV programme? (7) |
| Refers to The Krypton Factor, a British game show that ran from 1977 to 1995. | ||
| 20 | MERCURY | Club oddly let in drunk pop legend (7) |
| ClUb in MERRY
Refers of course to Freddie Mercury. |
||
| 21 | ZINC | Brass component contributing to jazz in club (4) |
| “contributing to” “jazZ IN Club” | ||
| 25 | OXYGEN | Orchestra leader co-ordinates knowledge of gas (6) |
| O(rchestra) + XY (axes = “co-ordinates”) + GEN (“knowledge”) | ||
| 26 | TITANIUM | It symbolises a metal when spinning (8) |
| “Spin” “it” and you get TI, which is the chemical symbol for TITANIUM | ||
| 28 | ASTATINE | At home in a condition that is unstable (8) |
| IN in A STATE
(Andrew has suggested it is At that is the definition, and that STATE is indicated by “condition that is unstable”, so I may have been unfair to Gozo) Astatine is an unstable radioactive element. |
||
| 29 | IODINE | I could be one with nothing to eat (6) |
| 1 + 0 +DINE
I is the chemical symbol for Iodine. |
||
| 30 | TUNGSTEN | Cask gets rebuilt with new metal (8) |
| TUN + *(gets) + N | ||
| 31 | NICKEL | Mark, the Spanish coin (6) |
| NICK + EL | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | CASH SALE | No credit for this disposal of bread? (4,4) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 2 | PULL AWAY | Take the lead, yet draw on opponent’s ground (4,4) |
| PULL (“draw”) + AWAY (“on opponent’s ground”) | ||
| 3 | EMENDS | Reforms – some of them end satisfactorily (6) |
| “some of” “thEM END Satisfactorily” | ||
| 5 | LAIR | Bishop leaves former PM’s home (4) |
| (b)LAIR | ||
| 6 | TOREADOR | Fighter’s gashed? A doctor’s brought round ring (8) |
| TORE (“gashed”) + A DR “brought round” O | ||
| 7 | NOGGIN | Head north, going wrong (6) |
| *(N going) where N = “north” | ||
| 8 | MINIMS | Notes from a small manuscript (6) |
| MINI + MS | ||
| 11 | RUBRICS | Leading rules – are you told cribs are wrong? (7) |
| *(RU cribs) where RU is a homophone (indicated by “told”) of “are you” | ||
| 14 | UP-TRAIN | Puritan oddly going to London (2-5) |
| *(puritan)
A train going up to London is called an “up-train”. Personally, as a Scot, I always say I am going down to London… |
||
| 17 | CELESTAS | Slate broken in these French instruments (8) |
| *(slate) in CES (“these French”) | ||
| 18 | MINIDISK | Car with kids out of control – it holds a record (8) |
| MINI (“car”) + *(kids) | ||
| 19 | SCAMMELL | Truck manufacturer’s swindle made English lorries legendary originally (8) |
| SCAM + first letters of “Made English Lorries Legendary”
Scammell were a now-defunct British truck manufacturer. |
||
| 22 | COBALT | Loaf, key element (6) |
| COB (“loaf”) + Alt (a “key” on a computer keyboard) | ||
| 23 | LYTTON | Victorian author’s forename on only novel about abstainer (6) |
| *(only) “about” TT (teetotal = “abstainer”)
Refers to Lytton Strachey, who, although born during Victoria’s reign, was active after her death. However, he did write a biography of the Queen, so that makes the clue quite clever. |
||
| 24 | JACOBI | Knighted actor’s dodgy CIA job (6) |
| *(CIA job)
Referes to Sir Derek Jacobi |
||
| 27 | ONCE | Some concerto in progress outside of Cambridge, formerly (4) |
| Has two cryptic indicators:
“some” “cONCErto” and ON (“in progress”) +C(ambridg)E |
||
*anagram
I think the definition in 28a is just “At” (chemical symbol for Astatine), with “condition that is unstable” indicating “state” (“a perturbed condition of mind” as Chambers puts it).
Andrew@1 – That would work!
Even simpler – “at home” is often used to signify “in”. Put “in” inside “a state” and you get astatine
Thanks Gozo and loonapick
In 23 I think the reference is to the fact that Lytton Stracey’s best-known work is “Eminent Victorians”.
I did consider that, but went with the biography, as it was a prize-winning book and linked Victorian to “of Victoria”
I thought the setter meant Edward Bulmer-Lytton a very popular Victorian novelist, not read much now, but whose novels included historical blockbusters like The Last Days of Pompeii.
The clue did say “forename”.
Much to like, thank you Gozo. The theme was readily accessible, even for a non-scientist like me, because it was so well clued; there were many nice surfaces too.
Thank you for the blog, loonapick. My initial response to 23d was the same as yours, but I think that Simon@4’s idea works just as well.
While browsing the periodic table for those unusual elements I didn’t know (to fill in the gaps after struggling with solving) I saw that ASTATINE’s name derives from the Greek “astatos” meaning “unstable” — so it’s not just that it’s an unstable element, but rather its name does mean “unstable”. (But perhaps everyone knew that and the complaint about vagueness stands.)
A fun crossword; thanks Gozo and loonapick.
Thanks Gozo and loonapick
It was a fun crossword which I found not as hard than is normal from this setter. Took longer than it should have to twig that ALL across clues were going to be elements.
Actually thought that SCANDIUM was OK although I didn’t see the compound anagram with it – had SCAN (in the computer sense) as reproduction and then got stuck with it. Had assumed, like Simon, that it was Edward LYTTON at 23d, but clearly the blog nails the correct author.
Finished in the NE corner with KRYPTON, BARIUM and TOREADOR the last few in.
Thanks Gozo and loonapick.
I too thought 12ac was fine and I did spot the subtractive anagram.
For a while I did think that we were heading for a Pangram, but F, Q and W clearly eluded that thought.
These puzzles provide fun and much more – but they don’t protect you from the elements!